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Proofing ovens and Sourdough Starter

Proofing ovens and Sourdough Starter

Just got some starter going from "Goldrush" mix a friend brought back from California. Turns out it's Marie Callendar when you go to the site...but anyway....my new oven has a proofing setting, which thrills me to no end. I used to bake bread often, fell out of the habit and I've now got the bug again.

So, my question is...does the proofing oven reduce the time needed to proof? One recipe calls for 6-8 hours. I never used to proof bread that long with my old recipe and old oven. I always had good results. It was not sourdough however. Perhaps this is unique to sourdough starter?

Is 00 a very soft wheat flour like White Lily or pastry flour? Your comment about the starter got me curious. Do you use it to feed your starter, so it will be easier to scoop out some and incorporate in into the bread dough? I've been wondering about using the food processor for sourdough bread. If my firm starter were not so stiff, I could use it as is in the FP, without whisking in some water to dilute it. (My major goal for making FP bread is to save steps and keep the process as easy as possible.)

or the closest thing to it, every day in every way so I called it Chinese All Purpose (in China). I don't know if it's hard or soft. I don't go out of my way to purchase it here in Austria. But working with it can be frustrating and it has honed many skills. Currently I use rye (extreme gooey/sticky) and notice differences but all firm starters have to be torn up and deluted with water first. Some need longer than others and it doesn't bother me to wisk in more air while doing it. A small price to pay for starter longevity.

I am also thinking about using a food processor today (first time) to knead Leader's spelt SD. This is new to me and I fear for overworked dough. But everything worked out well, I stopped often and kept checking using the windowpain test. Followed the directions exactly, unfortunately my proofing times are much slower, 3 x slower. hmmmmm

TIP: If you are using your firm starter/ cake yeast right away in dough and the recipe calls for some kind of sweetner, add it to your firm starter/cake yeast first and give it a few minutes, it will liquify right before your eyes!

" TIP: If you are using your firm starter/ cake yeast right away in dough and the recipe calls for some kind of sweetner, add it to your firm starter/cake yeast first and give it a few minutes, it will liquify right before your eyes!"

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